A Reaper's Tale
by TheGrayWitch
Summary: Alyss has a secret that's dragged her into the most dangerous and brutal competition known to man: the Dark Tournament. She is the alternate for the guests and now that Genkai has died, she must step up. Will the rest of the team except her? Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1: We Need You

**Chapter One: We need you**

I growled to myself as I waited in line for the finals to start. I'd been one of the first people to get in line so I'd been there for a while. There was still a day left before and I was lying in a hammock I'd set up for myself. To drown out the insistent noise of the other demons I was listening to music on my iPod. "The Bleeding" by Five Finger Death Punch without the screaming was the song that played right now. It was great! And it provided me with the ability to think straight without the urge to kill anybody.

Unfortunately, whilst here, I thought about things I shouldn't. Why the hell am I here? I kept asking myself that countless times. I didn't need to be here. Team Urameshi was doing perfectly fine on their own. Besides, it's not like I'd be much help anyways even if they need their secret alternate. I say secret because they didn't even know about me. Or I assumed that was the case. I heard nothing and saw nothing that indicated otherwise.

Damn you, Koenma. Normally, I don't hate people I don't really know much about but the chief administrator of Spirit World really pissed me off. I hated him with a fiery passion, or in my case icy. I distinctly remember the day I got dragged into this mess…

_**{Flashback}**_

"_Dammit! I'm so gonna be late!" I snarled as I leapt off the ferry and ran full tilt home. "!" I shrieked as I sprinted through town. Anyone in my way I just ran around, probably leaving them confused and frightened that they were nearly flattened by a teenage girl. I neared the cemetery and decided to take that as a short cut, especially if anyone tried to hassle me. I ran through the tombstones toward the back of the cemetery where a copse of trees grew. No one went in there except me and the rest of my coven. Everyone else feared the ghosts while we welcomed them. At least, we welcomed the benign ones. I always felt at home in the woods._

_That was not to be the case today. As soon as I entered the trees, I felt the presence of something…not human. I skidded to a stop and focused. What was there? It wasn't a demon, so I was safe in that aspect. But it wasn't a ghost either. What the hell is going on? I took a few steps further._

"_Show yourself!" I called. "Now!"_

_Suddenly, a figure appeared before me. After first it was just a blob but then it took a more definite shape. In no time the blob had taken the form of a baby floating in air. He looked like a young heir to royalty from the look of his Japanese uniform._

"_Someone's impatient, I see," he said, his pacifier bobbing with each word. _

_I flinched. What the frig? He was much too young to talk! And he sounded older too! More like my age! What the hell?_

"_I see from your expression you've never heard of me. Not surprising because most humans in your world haven't. I am Koenma, chief administrator of Spirit World,"_

_I raised my eyebrow. "They must not have high standards…" I mutter._

_He glared. "Hey! I'm the son of the king of Spirit World, missy! I could make your afterlife very unpleasant!"_

"_Whatever you say," I mumbled, still disbelieving. _

_He sighed. "Anyways, I'm not here to discuss that. Actually, I need you to do something for me,"_

_I narrowed my eyes. "Oh? And what would that be?"_

"_I need you to enter the Dark Tournament,"_

"_What is that?"_

"_It is a tournament where demons from all over compete in teams to see who is the strongest of them all. Each team has five fighters but can also have one alternate if one of their members dies. I need you to be an alternate for such a team," _

_I glared. "Over my dead body! And if I enter such a tournament, it will be!"_

"_You have power, Alyss, you just don't see it,"_

_I blanked. "How the hell did you know my name?"_

"_Chief administrator of Spirit World, remember? And your name isn't the only thing I know. I also know about your condition,"_

_I raised my eyebrow. Does he know about…Nah, there's no way. I grinned. "Hah, you got nothing on me!"_

"_Oh really, now what if I told you…" That I'm a witch? Hah! Everyone on the island knows that. It's no big secret here. "I know about Badiyanu,"_

_I blanched. No, no it can't be. "But how did…"_

_He grinned. "That I will keep to myself. Now, are we going to be cooperative…or am I going o have to reveal your little secret?"_

_My eyes widened in fear. "You wouldn't dare…"_

"_Oh but I would. You see, I'm desperate to make sure the team I sponsor wins. Not just for their sake but for the sake of Human World as well. Desperate times call for desperate measures,"_

_I twitched. If more found out about me…Oh my god…I tried to find a way to counter it but was coming up short._

"_I wonder how long you've been hiding it. A long time, huh? Would be a shame if all that hard work was all in vain just because you decided to say no,"_

_I ground my teeth together and hung my head in defeat. "When is this tournament?"_

_He smiled. "Good girl. It's in three weeks so I suggest you train. These fighters are strong but they may need your help. You'll be the alternate for Team Urameshi…"_

_**{Present}**_

I snarled to myself. Koenma was going to pay for this. Where does he get off black mailing a girl when it's obvious that his team didn't need me in the first place? All the fighters had done terrific throughout this whole tournament. The only time I was gnawing on my thumb nail (my nervous tick, you could say. I don't bite my nails so they've like talons) was when Kurama looked like he was done for after fighting Gama then Touya. I wanted to throttle Baken for being such an asshat and was happy when Yusuke beat the crap out of him. Even after that, I just knew they'd make it, even with all the crapping rulings the committee threw at them.

I sighed to myself. What am I doing here? I'm no fighter. What did that tiny tot mean I have power? Okay sure, I was good at being a witch but that wasn't enough here. I couldn't wait for this to end so I could find Koenma and deck him! Making me train for three weeks straight, lie to my family about where I was gonna be these last few days, scare the crap out of me at the thought of fighting these monsters. Ugh! I'm so killing him.

I was so engrossed in my bloody musings of torturing Koenma and my loud music that I jumped when someone tapped on my shoulder. I looked to see it was Koenma's blue ogre servant. I slipped off my headphones to hear him.

"Yes, may I help you?" I said, trying to be polite.

"Lord Koema wants to see you," Ogre told me. "He says you're needed,"

I blanched. "What?"

"It seems…there's been a death in the team,"

My eyes grew wide as I digested Ogre's words. Oh crap. Can I deck him now? I sighed, trying to seem together. "Alright, can you take me to him?" I asked as I got up from my hammock and snapped my fingers so it would fold back up and put itself away in my duffle bag. Ogre nodded and led me into the woods. We stopped at a clearing where Koenma was standing by himself. He was in his teenager form, a form I saw near the beginning of the tournament when I was looking for a seat.

He turned as we approached. "Ah, I see you got my message,"

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Okay, binky boy, what the hell is this about someone dying on Urameshi's team? We both know there were no fatalities on our side in the semi finals,"

A sad look came into his eyes. What the hell? "Yes, Alyss, you are correct there wasn't a fatality on our side. But there's been an incident since then and we need you to take her place,"

No. "Her? You don't mean…"

"Yes. The one you will b replacing is Master Genkai,"

"But…But I don't understand, how could this happen?"

He sighed. "It's a long story and much too long for you to hear. Right now, you need to focus on preparing for the finals,"

"You don't think I'll have to fight in it, do you?" My voice cracked at the end. I could feel tears start to form in my eyes. This can't be happening.

"Let's hope we won't resort to that but we still need five fighters tomorrow or Team Urameshi will be disqualified," He walked up to me and place a hand on my shoulder. "You will do fine, Alyss. Train hard tonight and focus on the job at hand. I know you can help keep this team from losing,"

I shook my head. "What if you're wrong?"

"Well, let's not think about that right now," With that said, he and Ogre left the clearing. Once they were gone, I sank to my knees and let the tears spill. Oh god…I was gonna fight in the finals. But what if I failed? What if I ended up being the tiebreaker and I lost? Everyone else on the team was so much stronger, what help could I be? Nothing, not an ounce of help. My power lay in spells and puzzles, not battle tactics. I just hoped that I really wasn't needed. Yeah, just a space filler, that's all I'm good for anyways.

I wiped away my tears and stood, glaring at nearby tree. I charged at the tree and started pounding at it, leaving icy fist prints in the bark. I was so angry and scared. Angry at Koenma for dragging me into this, at Genkai for dying, this whole stupid tournament, my weakness, my secret…I slammed my fist one last time into the bark and spilt the tree, making it fall. I touched the pendant for the collar around my neck: a large pentagram with a stone in each point, one for each element in nature. The seal that trapped my own dark secret. I hope and prayed to the God and Goddess that I wouldn't have to use it. If I did, it would mean my death and I really didn't want to die. I haven't proven anything to the world just yet but maybe I wasn't meant to…yeah, there's that possibility.

I sighed to myself. Well, no use moping about. I needed to train. I took a deep breath and focused my energy, locking on any moisture in the air. There was plenty plant life and being that this was an island the close proximity to the ocean allowed for a lot of water vapor. When you're a water witch like myself, such things were an asset and gave you an advantage. I'd even learned to "see" with the water in the air if the need arises. However, I wished I had someone to train with. The real thing was better than a simulation. Unfortunately, I didn't feel confident enough to ask any of Team Urameshi. I was actually scared to meet them. They'd probably feel my dismal aura and laugh at me.

I frowned and started working with the water in the air, molding and shaping it into various shapes and weapons and working with each possible form for any situation. This allowed me to get the right feel for each weapons. My best were whips, staffs, arrows and other long range attacks. Close range wasn't my style nor my strong suit. That was my older sister, Alex. We always joked that she was the samurai and I was the ninja. As I trained, my thought turned to my family.

Poor Alex, she probably was getting real worried about me. I haven't even been able to send a letter or an email. I promised myself I would explain everything to her once all this had been over with. Hopefully she'd understand why I had to leave without so much as a word. The Aunts would probably kill me if they found out so there was no way I was telling them. Not a chance! Kylie and Antonia…maybe, after easing them into the idea of course. But I was definitely coming clean to Alex. I only wish…

My thoughts were stopped short as I felt a presence nearby. I was in the middle of bringing down my water staff so when I brought it down in a final stroke, I looked over to see who was there. My eyes grew wide at the sight of who was watching me.

There, just on the edge of the clearing, his immense spirit energy radiating from him, was Hiei. I froze and stared into his crimson eyes with my dark brown ones. I was kneeling to ground but even if I were standing, I'd probably still feeling like I was shrinking under his gaze. Yet, I was also mesmerized. I was a small bird under a serpent's stare. Or should I say dragon's?

Hiei and I stared at each other for the longest time. I was frightened; I knew he could feel that. Out of all the members on the team, Hiei was the one that I feared but also admired the most. I don't know why but something drew me to him from the moment I saw him enter the area in the first round. Granted my fear only intensified when he unleashed the Dragon of the Darkness Flame. And it didn't help that I was close to the section that got roasted! But even as I feared him, there was longing to learn more about him. Don't ask me why! I have no clue! There's just something about him that makes me want to see the real Hiei inside. Like that'll ever happen.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Hiei looked away and continued walking. It was like a spell had been broken. I let out a breath I hadn't realized holding and looked up to see night had fallen. Damn, I still didn't feel ready enough for the finals. I stood and touched the seal on my neck. Please don't make me resort to this…

I walked to the hotel and up to my room. My duffle bag was already sitting there in the living room thanks to a transport spell I'd done on autopilot when Ogre led me to Koenma. I opened the duffle bag, laid it on its side and crawled in. Inside was a bedroom. Thanks, Alex! This place was too creepy for me not to stay in my room-in-a-bag. It's a spell my sister invented so she wouldn't have to worry about lodgings. She put the spell on my bag so I wouldn't have the same issue either just in case. There was even a bookshelf with all the spellbooks I'd need and random books to keep my company. On the wall were Halloween lights in the shape of a spider web. I turned on the lights on the wall and turn off the over head light before getting dressed in my pajamas.

I turned at looked in the full length mirror. My hair was dark brown to match my almond shaped eyes and fell just past my butt. Half a foot of the ends was dyed sky blue. I was olive toned thans to all the time I spent in the sun at home. My appearance was average, not pretty but not ugly either. Only thing that made my stand out was my hair and when that had a habit of getting over shadowed.

_Ready to die, little one?_ A creepy voice rasped in my head.

I sighed. "You've been awfully quiet,"

The voice laughed. _Why yes. It's been so boring here and you thoughts are no better. "Oh, what if I lose? How can I compete with them? Oh, deary me!" Feh!_

I smirked. "That's what you get for listening to my thoughts,"

_I have no more choice in it than you do, you little brat!_

I narrowed my eyes. "Yes, you did have a choice. A long time ago,"

The voice smirked. _Yes, but as they say "Desperate times call for desperate measures" and I have a feeling you'll know that soon enough._

I snarled. "Keep quiet, you banshee. I have no time for your rasping!"

The voice just laughed again. _Fine then, sleep and know it'll probably be your last night on earth. But rejoice! You'll see your mother soon enough…_

I growled and threw myself into bed, throwing the covers over me in defiance. I hated that voice, I hated it! But I was tired and soon, sleep over took me.

"_Mom? Mom, you down there?" I called, quietly coming down the stairs. I hugged my stuff rabbit close to me. I know I'm only eight but give me a break! I crept quietly into the sitting room and nearly jumped out of my skin. _

_Standing there in the middle of the living room was a woman; a scary woman, at that. She had long, lank black hair that looked like she hadn't washed or brushed it for days. Her dress was old and worn with patches everywhere. Her skin was ghostly pale, almost translucent. In her hands was a large scythe, like that of a grim reaper's. But it wasn't that scythe that scared me. It was her smile, which reminded me of those insane children in my ALICE game…and her eyes. They were dark, so dark I couldn't see any indication of colour in them. They had this manically look in them that chilled me to the bone._

_The woman saw me and grinned even wider. "Well, hello, child," She smiled. Her voice reminded me of poison honey. "You must be little Alyss,"_

"_H-how did you know my name?" I asked in a timid voice, clutching my rabbit closer to me. _

_She just continued grinning. "Oh, I know your mother quite well," She gripped the scythe tighter. "Very well…"_

"_Stay away from her!" A voice called. I looked to see my mother standing at the top of the stairs._

"_Mom!" I cried. _

"_Go back upstairs, sweetie," My mother soothed as she came down the stairs. "I will handle this…"_

_The woman laughed. "Why, Cecilia! How nice it is to see you! I was just saying hello to your little brat,"_

"_Leave my daughter out of his," My mother growled, holding her hand out for a fire ball to appear. "You have no right to be here, __Badiyanu,"_

_I started to creep back up the stairs when Badiyanu turn her crazed eyes to me._

"_Oh, but I do. I've come to destroy you hunters once and for all!" Badiyanu swung her scythe toward my mother. Next thing I know, there's fire everywhere. _

"_Mom! Dad! Help!" I cried, trying to run to my room and hide from the flames. There was a wailing shriek and I turned to see a figure writhing in the flames. _

"_You bitch! Look at what you've done!" Badiyanu shrieked. She turned and I could see in the light of the flames her eyes had a hint of red in them. They grew wide at the sight of me and a smile twitched at her lips. "A body…And a young one at that…" She took a step towards me._

"_St-stay away!" I cried, tears running down my face as I tried to back away from the crazed woman. "Mommy! Daddy!"_

_She chuckled darkly. "Your mother is gone, child. She can't hear you or save you," Badiyanu took another step and reached for me, wrapping her cold fingers around my neck. I kicked and squirmed as she tried to squeeze the life out of me. The air grew cold and the fires died down only to be replaced by icicles. One shot up from the ground and impaled Badiyuna. She screamed at the pain and coughed up blood but the evil grin stayed. _

"_Sorry, little girl. That's not going to work. Your body's still going to be mine," She hissed and squeezed harder. My vision grew dark and as I started to fall unconscious, I heard a voice call my name…_

I awoke to see a light in my room. On the wall was a window that showed me what the weather was like outside. Surprisingly, it was sunny. And it was probably the last I'd see for the finals had arrived.

_**Author's Note:**_ Hello everyone! This is only my second YYH story that I've posted amd I've only just started them both ^^" so please be kind! This story is mainly from Alyss's point of view but I will give you indications if it changes and to who it changes to as I will shift in the future. There ws just no point in shifting in this chapter.

Special Thanks: littlekawaiifirefox! For all your help in keeping this story alive! I was so close to giving up on this when I had that giant kink you helped me work out. You've been such a great help and I thank you for it! =^.^= I really hope you enjoy this, Fox!

To anyone who is reading this story, please reveiw it so I know what people think! Reviews are what inspire me to write but without that inspiration I can't write. Just look at my very first story, Day and Night! So please, if you want more of this and you want it soon, review!

TTFN, Ta Ta For Now!


	2. Chapter 2: Let the Match Begin!

**Chapter Two: Let the Match Begin!**

**~Alyss~**

I got out of bed and got dressed. Tripp pants and a corset halter top would be ideal. The pants insulated my legs so if I frozen them so I could deliver harder kicks, it would helpful. And the halter top's open back left room if I needed my wings…No, don't think that. Yes, have the option there but try not to resort to it. That being said…I sighed as I went over to my bedside table and pulled out the top drawer. Inside was a silver cuff bracelet with a large onyx stone set in it. I picked up the bracelet and slipped it on my wrist before putting on a pair of gauntlets with buckles all over them. Once the gauntlets hid my bracelet well enough, I was ready. Well, ready as I'll ever be.

I took a deep breath and crawled out of my bag, closed it tightly and headed out of the room. As I walked, my right hand held my left and I played with the jade ring on my finger. The ring was a gift from my sister when we went to the fair one day. It was my security blanket and made me feel I was more connected to Alex. God I wish she was here to cheer me on. I need her strength. I sighed to myself and continued on to my fate.

**+General+**

Team Urameshi was waiting the hall that lead to the arena. They were moments away from finally fighting Team Toguro after all this time. They had battled team after team and almost lost their lives multiple times throughout this tournament. And now here it was, the moment they had been waiting and dreading for.

They were all waiting silently, all except for Genkai who was missing in action. Three of the team members already knew of the late master's demise, leaving Kuwabara to be the only one not aware. They only had four members when they had to have five, or they'd be disqualified.

"One question," said Kurama, breaking the silence.

Yusuke, who had his eyes closed the whole time, opened one to look at the red haired fox demon. "Huh?"

"Have you arranged for a substitute for Genkai since she won't be joining us today?"

"I did but the little twerp should have been here by now," Yusuke grumbled, wondering what was taking so long. He had talk to Koenma about it and he said he already had an alternate for them in the nature something like this would happen. Whoever this guy is, he sure had some nerve being late.

"Well, I don't see why the old broad doesn't have to be here like the rest of us," growled Kuwabara, still clueless about what had happened.

"She's sick. I told you that,"

Kuwabara grinned. "Aha! It's so happens I know a secret recipe that can cure all kind of sickness!" He held up his finger like her was thinking and muttered to himself "Let me think. First you hang upside down for a while. Then you eat five large lemons, drink some two day old tea with pepper in it and wrap your body in seaweed,"

"So tell me," sneered Hiei, having enough of the moron's babbling. "What's it like living in a constant haze of stupidity?"

"I had enough of your lip, half pint!" Kuwabara glare at Hiei.

The walls began to shake as the door to the arena prepared to open. They could hear the crowd outside cheering as the announcer Juri said through the microphone "Now! With no further ado, the moment you've all be waiting for so let's begin! On my left, Team Urameshi!" The double doors pulled back and opened to the arena. The team started walking out and up to arena as the death chants were shouted from the other demons in the spectator's stands.

"I'd really like to show every one of these jerk faces a thing or two about minding their manners," muttered Kuwabara. "Besides, all the shouting's giving me a head ache,"

The demons were still rallying for blood. Juri cleared her throat and brought the mike to her lips. "You're attention please," She waiting until the crowd had quieted down before continuing. "Please put your hands together for everyone's favorite, Team Toguro!"

On the other side, two double doors opened and out walked the four members of Team Toguro. The demons cheered and chanted for the team as they walked up to the arena.

When both teams had reached the arena, the chanting changed to arguing about the fact that both teams had only four members on each side.

"Both fighters are short one! There should be five fighters for each team!" shouted a random demon.

"What's the deal? Without out five, they shouldn't be able to fight!" shouted another.

Juri held up a rule book with her tail and started flipping through pages. "Ahem, everyone please calm down and I'll get to the bottom of this," She found the page was she was looking for and read through it a bit. "Let me see. According to the tournament rule book, each of the ten players must participate in a one-on-one match assuming five matches are necessary. The first team to win three matches will be the champions. Sorry about that. Since it is the final and neither side have used their substitution, you must have five or you're team will forfeit,"

Kuawabara nudges Yusuke with his elbow. "Hey, you did say you got somebody for Genkai but I just want you to know that imaginary friends don't count,"

"Right," drawled Yusuke. "I think it'd be best if you didn't talk for the rest of the tournament,"

"Great, so we're already experiencing officiating difficulty," groaned the other announcer, Koto from the sidelines. "In case anybody upstairs is curious, I do have to entire tournament rule book memorized,"

The other demons all around growled and snarled all around.

_Meanwhile…_

"Crap! I'm late I'm so freaking late!" Alyss was running through the halls, trying to find the right one to the arena. This place was like a maze to those who hadn't done more than just look for your seat and head out. Alyss snarled to herself as she tried to find her way around. Think is just great, Alyss groaned to herself. This is supposed to be my shining moment and I'm freaking late!

She could hear them outside and got really antsy.

"I see someone is lost," A voice said as she rounded the corner. Standing there, leaning against the wall, was Koenma in teen form.

"Koenma, could you please tell me where to go? I have to get in there before they disqualify the team!"

He nodded. "Better yet, I'll walk you there. I need to get down there as well,"

Alyss nodded and they ran together down the hall.

"Might I ask why you're late, Alyss?" he asked.

She snarled. "Stupid bouncer wouldn't let me through, even after I showed him the proof that I'm the alternate. To put it simply, I had a little warm up before the match,"

"I see. Now let's hope we're not too late."

_Back in the arena…_

The other demons were still snarling and growling impatiently as the teams waited for their fifth members to appear.

"Both teams need to find another player soon," groaned Juri. "Because if you don't I'll be forced to disqualify you and forfeit this match and that's not good!"

Toguro smirked at the girl's words.

Yusuke flinched. _What is he thinking?_

The powerful demon chuckled a bit. "That's all you had to say. Our reserved team member is always ready to join us when required,"

Once that was said, the double doors opened on Toguro's side of the arena. Out walked the team's sponser, Sakyo and a girl. She looked to be about fifteen, Yusuke's age but could be younger because she was quite short. Her skin was pale white and it contrasted sharply with the jet black hair that was cut pixie style. She had hawk yellow eyes that pierced through each and every one of them. She grinned evilly at the sight of them.

"Hey! What's a kid doing here!" shouted a demon.

"Go back to your mommy, girly!"

She glared in at the spectators. "I'd shut up before you make me mad," She hissed.

"Yeah, like you could do anything to us, you little half pint!"

She snarled and made a sweeping motion with her arm in the direction of the last comment. White hot fire flared from her fingertips and grew into a huge wave of flame as it fell over that part of the audience.

Sakyo smirked. "Temper, temper. You should really save that hostility for Team Urameshi,"

The girl made a "tch" sound and continued walking with him until she reached the rest of the team.

"Wow, you guys! Team Toguro's fifth member as just demonstrated an awesome display of her powers by incinerating the crowd with white hot flames!" Koto commentated. "Whoever fights this one will need to find a fire suit!"

"And who is your fifth member?" Juri asked.

"Nancy Downs," replied Sakyo. "Now that she's in play, Team Urameshi will lose. I stake my life on it,"

"That's what I call putting your mouth where your money is!" cried Koto, having way too much fun.

"Toguro is prepared. Now present your fighter or the finals are over!" Juri turned to Team Urameshi for that.

"What now, Mr. Team Captain?" asked Kuwabra, getting very antsy. "We've got two seconds for this guy to show up,"

Yusuke winced. _Dammit, Koenma. Where the hell is our sub?_

Juri wait a few more seconds in silence before saying "Since Team Urameshi has failed miserably to produce a fifth player, Team Toguro will be name the winners by default!"

"Hold it, missy!" shouted a muffled voice. "Patience is a virtue!"

The team turned to the door they walked through as it began to open. Smoke billowed through the opening and two figures could be seen walking in it.

"Wow, Urameshi," said Kuwabara. "This fighter you got can shoot out some kind of magically smoke,"

"Umm, not exactly," said the voice as the smoke cleared to reveal teenage Koenma and another girl. "I just thought dry ice would be a nice touch,"

The girl was waving the smoke away from her face and glared at Koenma. "Show off,"

"It's a giant Koenma!" exclaimed Kuwabara, pointing at the ruler.

"So what kept you, a diaper change?" asked Yusuke, obviously annoyed.

"No. Our little alternate here had some trouble finding this place," replied Koenma, only to get smacked in the back of the head by the girl.

"Stuff it, asshat," She growled.

"Jeez, no need to get testy!"moaned Koenma.

"This is our fighter?" Hiei asked. "A little girl?" She turned her glare at him and he realized it was the same girl he saw from the woods. He'd been walking back to the hotel when he felt a strange energy from a clearing and found the girl training. To be honest, he thought she was fighting for Team Toguro but as it turns out she's was there for them.

"Don't call me a little girl, Hiei," she growled but there wasn't enough conviction in her statement to matter much. How could there when she could already feel her worth was next to nothing?

Koenma just shook his head. "Now now, Alyss, play nice with your team,"

Alyss frowned but not like she was angry. Something was bothering her.

Yusuke looked over the girl. She didn't look very strong and he couldn't sense her spirit energy very well. But he knew that appearances were deceiving. He just smiled, trying to be friendly. "Hey, kid," When she looked up at him, he gave her thumbs up. "Welcome to the team,"

Her surprised look changed to a genuine smile. "Glad to be here,"

He nodded. "Let's go,"

"Wait a second!" cried Juri. "You can't just switch. The rules say a new player can only be brought in if an original player is dead,"

Yusuke winced at that. "Well, about that…"

Alyss stepped up. "Dead also mean 'incapable to fight' and that is the case of Master Genkai,"

"It doesn't matter," Sakyo muttered.

"Their team will never get to the fifth match so it won't be necessary for the girl to fight," said Karasu. "We all know she's just here to take up space,"

Alyss snarled at him. _What the hell am I doing here?_ She kept asking herself. Her face must have showed what she was thinking because she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, expecting to see Koenma but instead, it was Yusuke.

"You'll do fine," he said. When she gave him a funny look he added "Koenma told me you were a bit reluctant to fight. But he has faith in you and Binky Breath hasn't let me down yet,"

She still looked unconvinced but nodded.

On the other side of the ring, Nancy stared at the girl. She seemed familiar.

Juri sighed. "Fine then. Who is your fifth member so we can fill the roster?"

The girl looked up and said in a clear voice. "Alyss Cromwel,"

Nancy's eyes grew wide. It can't be…But it is! An evil grin spread across her face. "Toguro?"

"What is it?"

"I want the first match,"

"Oh? What's got you so interested?" He looked to see she was still staring at Alyss with an evil look. "Ah. You want to face the girl," She nodded. "Fine then, you'll take the first match,"

She laughed evilly.

"Alright, there's finally a full roster!" called Koto. "So get ready to feast your eyes on the Dark Tournament's bloodiest massacre yet! Ladies and gentleman, it's taken us seven long days to get here! Welcome to the finals!"

_Would that woman shut up?_ Alyss thought to herself. She looked over at her teammates. They seemed ready and confident, a feeling opposite to her own. _I can't do this. Well, maybe they won't need the fifth fighter. I hope, for all our sake._ She sighed to herself and looked back at Team Toguro. She could sort of see the girl on the other end. The girl look familiar but Alyss couldn't figure out where she could have met her.

A buzzer sounded and Nancy stepped up onto the ring. She looked right at Alyss and smiled. "Fancy seeing you here, Ali,"

Alyss' eyes grew wide. Oh god…It can't be.

"Hah! This'll be a piece of cake!" grinned Kuwabara as he started to get into the ring. Alyss put her arm in his way and stepped onto ring instead.

She had a look of determination on her face as she silently stepped up to the arena.

"Uh, did you see that girl's face? I thought she was nervous before," uttered Kuwabara.

"Yes, I had that feeling too, but now it seems the opposite," said Kurama. He'd been trying to pin-point the girl's spirit energy since she came into the arena. He couldn't feel much but he could sense a seal on her which may be the cause of her lack of visible energy.

"Hn," Hiei snorted and turned to Koenma. "Are you sure this girl can fight? We can't afford any losses,"

Koenma nodded. "Believe me, Hiei. Just because you can't sense it doesn't mean there isn't something hiding underneath. That girl has strength. Now let's hope she can find it,"

Alyss stepped up to the middle of the ring, her hands balled into fists. She had a hard look on her face as she tried to contain her anger. What the hell is she doing here? That question was at the forefront of her mind as she glared at Nancy.

Nancy just calmly smiled. She looked like Alyss' opposite. Even her clothes were very different. She wore a light blue sweat jacket and jeans over a pair of tennis shoes. She looked like she was going to school, not be in a fight.

"It has been decided! We will begin the final with a match between Team Toguro's Nancy and from Team Urameshi's side Alyss!"

The demons started cheer and chanting but Alyss could have sworn she heard cheering for her as well. She looked to a group of human looking girls standing up at cheering. Alyss had seen them before, when she was a spectator. They had been cheering on Team Urameshi for the whole tournament.

"C'mon, kid! You can do it!" shouted a girl holding some kind of blue penguin.

"Yeah! Knock 'em dead!" exclaimed another with a cigarette in her hand.

Alyss couldn't help but smile slightly as she walked on it the fight. _I can do this. I can do this. At least, I hope so._

"If I could have everyone's attention, I'll explain the rules of the match!" Juri shouted but the spectators were impatient for the fight to begin. So she gave up on that. "Both players take their opening pose and begin!"

Alyss waved her hand and an ice staff appeared like when she trained.

Nancy smirked. "Is this how you greet an old friend, Ali?"

Alyss snarled. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Nancy's eyes grew sad as she spread her arms out, white fire forming in her hands. "I'm sorry, Alyss but they made me. If I hadn't agreed to fight for them, I would have died,"

Alyss narrowed her eyes as she took a fighting stance.

"Ya gotta believe me, Ali. If I don't get a win for Toguro, they'll kill me,"

"Not if I kill you first!" Alyss shrieked as she charged at the girl. Nancy sent a wall of flame in Alyss' way but she leapt and brought the staff down as she fell. The fire witch had to leap out of the way but was barely scratched.

"What are you doing? You wouldn't kill a friend!" Nancy called.

"No, I wouldn't," Alyss replied and gripped the staff tighter. "But you're no friend. You weren't threatened, they offered you something,"

Nancy grew shocked then she started laughing. "Ah, that's right. You could always see the truth, Alyss. Yes, they did offer me something: one wish," She threw her hands up in the air and fire spiraled down them, making a tornado of fire around her. "And you know what I'd do with that wish? Become a demon so I can kill all those cretins who mocked us for who we are!"

Alyss braced herself.

"You're here for that too, huh? Yes, why else would you be? You had it just as bad as I do!" Nancy threw her arms forward and the fire left her and headed straight for Alyss. It engulfed the girl in a giant ball of flame.

"Oh crap!" Kuwabara shouted.

The other's eyes grew wide as they watched the flame twisted and writhe where the girl was.

"Come on, Alyss," muttered Koenma. "I know you can fight this,"

"Hn," Hiei grunted. "Just as weak as she looked,"

Nancy snickered. "You're right, Hiei, she was weak,"

Just then the fire was exploded away from the inside out. There stood Alyss, unscathed and surrounded but a wall of water.

"You were saying?" Alyss muttered as the wall died down and became a floating ring that surrounded her. _That was freaking close!_ Alyss thought to herself. _If I hadn't remembered the spell in time, I'd be toast by now!_ "By the way, I'm not here for some stupid wish. I'm here as a favor,"

"Favor?" Yusuke said and turned to Koenma. "You asked this girl here as a favor?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Koenma replied, doing his best not to lie.

"A favor!" Nancy screeched. "You are fighting for _humans_ as a favor?" Nancy started laughing hysterically. "Yeah, right, you just don't want to admit it,"

"Oh? And why the hell not? Last I checked, I am human, dumbass,"

Nancy just laughed again. "Human? Don't make me laugh! We all know you're not totally human,"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" _When the hell did she find out?_ Alyss wondered.

Nancy grinned and point to the pendant. "That seal on your neck? It's meant to hold in a shinigami,"

Hiei and Kurama flinched at the last word. "A shinigami? But there aren't any left!" cried Kurama.

"You're right, fox boy," Nancy sneered. "There aren't any _alive_,"

"I'm…confused," muttered Yusuke. He looked at Koenma to see he was breaking into a nervous sweat. "What's going on, Koenma?"

Koenma sighed. "It's a long story. Too long to say now,"

Alyss growled and sent ice shards towards Nancy who evaporated them with her flames. "Shut up!"

Nancy's grin widened. "But I'm having so much fun! Besides…" A wall of fire began to form around the two girls. "Have you any idea what it was like to be friends with you? All my life I wish I had half your talent. And then you waste away because your precious mommy died. You make me sick,"

Alyss carefully stepped away from the flames as the fire closed in on her. "Nancy, you don't have to do this!"

"Oh, but I do. I'll remind everyone what happens when you screw with witches. Starting with you!"

The white fire leapt and wrapped around Alyss, leaving a column of fire like before. Nancy added layer upon layer of the flame to keep the girl from dissipating it like before.

"That kid's gonna be toast!" Kuwabra shouted. "No way she could survive that,"

"Hold on," said Koenma. "That girl has more tricks up her sleeve,"

"What the hell are you not telling us?" Hiei asked, glaring at the ruler.

"Be patient and you'll see,"

Nancy was grinning and laughing as she replaced layer upon layer of fire. "Try and make my fire disappear now, winter girl! My flames will melt it all!" Finally she stopped adding layers and let the flames burn. After a time, they died down to reveal a dark block of ice.

"Where'd Alyss go?" asked Juri. "Is she in the ice? I'd better started the count then," She started counting.

"Hah! Nice try girly but to handle the flame you'd have to freeze your entire system. Guess you just did the work for me," Nancy was about to walk out of the ring when there was a loud _crack_ and Juri stopped counting. The girl whirled around to see a giant crack form on the ice. More cracks appeared until the ice fell away, leaving a large mass of black. The blob rustled a bit and opened up to reveal a shivering Alyss. The black that surrounded her turned out to be large bat-like wing that sprouted from her back.

"Holy bats, that was cold!" Alyss chattered, rubbing her arms so the friction would warm them.

Nancy stared in shock. "But…how did? You couldn't have survived that! Even if you froze yourself, it would have shut down your brain and killed you!"

Alyss grinned still slightly shivering. "Yeah, you're right. If I had froze myself I'd basically be doing you a favor. Good thing I didn't have to freeze all of me," Her wings shook to rid themselves of anymore ice. She slipped one of her gauntlets down just far enough to reveal the bracelet underneath. Alyss took off the bracelet and squeezed it in her hand. It glowed and shifted into the form of a large scythe. "Now it's my turn,"

_**Author's Note:**_ Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this one! I'm not the greatest with fight scenes but this one seems to do okay. Please review for me and I'll get the next chapter in as soon as possible!

TTFN, Ta Ta For Now!


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